What do you think about autonomy at work? Do you think it’s important for employees to be able to make important decisions more freely?
Companies that keep up to date in today’s market are always evolving and looking for innovations. Therefore, the old model of work no longer fits the reality of these companies.
In this sense, autonomy at work is a current trend and a great achievement, since the structures of modern companies allow this type of freedom and encourage team autonomy.
This does not mean that there are no rules within the work environment, it just means that professionals can be more independent.
The role of leaders is also constantly evolving. Nowadays there is no place for an authoritarian boss within developed companies, the role of the leader has also changed.
Therefore, a manager today is one who can guide and collaborate with the development of his team, in addition to knowing how to delegate tasks.
All these factors collaborate to create a dynamic work environment that encourages creativity.
Find out more about what autonomy at work is, how important this concept is, what relationship autonomy has with trust, what are the benefits of autonomy at work and how to encourage this autonomy. Check out!
What is autonomy at work?
The first step to implement autonomy in your company is to understand what this concept means, so we will explain it to you.
In short, autonomy is about the freedom your team has to do their work.
In this way, it involves factors such as the pace of work, the order of priority and the freedom to work autonomously, without close and constant management.
This happens because very often this type of order and management in which rules are imposed in an authoritarian way represses creativity and innovation in teams.
Therefore, the concept of autonomy at work recognizes that all employees are different and have different creation processes.
Therefore, approaches different from the standard are welcome, precisely because there is confidence in the team’s work and in the ability to make decisions.
Furthermore, when there is greater trust and freedom for the team, the final performance result is superior and there is greater participation by all team members.
This solves another common problem in monotonous work environments: lack of employee engagement .
What is the relationship between autonomy at work and trust?
This concept is closely linked with trust, which is an essential factor for team engagement .
In this way, if you do not trust your employees, the result is micromanagement that contributes to less productive attitudes and decreases the overall performance of the team.
This happens because micromanagement in general is linked to controlling employees and the idea that the team should just follow orders.
The result is a low-engagement work environment where creativity and innovation are stifled by team members and leaders alike.
Therefore, trust is an essential step to establish autonomy within the work environment and improve the performance of the entire team.
How important is autonomy at work?
It is very important to maintain autonomy in the day-to-day work. This gives employees freedom, which generates a greater development of skills and improves the team’s decision-making .
In addition, it guarantees the company’s leaders the ability to better manage teams. After all, the job of leaders in this scenario is to guide and develop the work of teams in the best possible way.
Market professionals are currently looking for a company that guarantees their autonomy in the corporate environment. In this way, companies that do not offer this type of autonomy and freedom to the professional may suffer from resignations and general dissatisfaction of the team.
This happens because many companies and organizations are still reluctant to update and modernize the work environment, a factor that also causes a low performance of all.
What are the benefits of autonomy at work?
As we mentioned above, there are several benefits in adopting a company that guarantees more autonomy to professionals.
See some positive points of this measure and how it can positively impact all aspects of your business, including the financial part.
An environment that guarantees autonomy provides greater happiness and team engagement, increases everyone’s performance, increases the feeling of appreciation at work, increases productivity , creates a sense of teamwork, among others. Check out!
– Increases sense of accomplishment
The first important point is that autonomy at work increases the sense of accomplishment of all employees.
Making your team feel motivated and valued is one of the main functions of a leader and ensures that the employee is always willing to do the best job possible, which is why it is an essential factor in everyday life.
Recognition and appreciation can be offered in a variety of ways in a work environment, such as through salary increases and positive feedback . But beyond that, autonomy is another great way of valuing the team.
This demonstrates that you trust the professionals who work in your company and at the same time take the team out of their comfort zone, from independence to making decisions and solving problems.
In this way, employees have a more active role in decision-making and realize how their effort and dedication makes a difference in the final result.
That way you get a more motivated team , which feels valued and accomplished with the work produced.
– Increases team accountability
As we mentioned, by having greater responsibility within the company’s work process, employees start to work in a different, more efficient way.
There is stimulation of creativity and the search for innovative solutions to solve common problems within the company. This increases innovation and improves the productivity of the entire team .
However, giving autonomy and greater responsibility to your team does not mean a lack of supervision.
The leader can and should set goals and deadlines to be met, which is up to the team to define the best way to meet these deadlines.
This decision respects and takes into account the different processes of each employee, always making it clear that the goal needs to be met within a deadline, but giving them the freedom to find the best way to do it.
– Increases employees’ sense of leadership
Another benefit of encouraging autonomy at work is to increase employees’ sense of leadership . That is, the team itself becomes the main responsible for its final performance.
In this way, employees are able to perceive their failures from negative results, with their own eyes.
This causes the team to set goals and strategies to avoid this situation in the future, just like a leader would.
That is, autonomy allows the team to develop leadership and management skills that can be very useful in the future within the company and alleviates the great burden of leaders and managers.
– Attracts talent
A company that guarantees autonomy at work for employees will certainly attract talent and qualified professionals.
In addition, an environment that gives freedom to professionals, values team participation and seeks innovation ensures that all employees are able to develop professionally in the best possible way.
– Improves company results
In addition, companies that encourage this autonomy within the corporate environment have better results than companies that do not follow trends and still encourage a controlling environment.
The improvement in performance and final results is precisely due to the freedom and trust placed in the entire team. As a result, employees feel more motivated and productive.
After all, autonomy and trust are a sign that the company values work well done and motivates better engagement from the entire team.
In this way, there must be supervision and the establishment of deadlines and goals, but maintaining total control of the team will not guarantee you good results, on the contrary.
– Develop new skills
Professionals with more autonomy are constantly provoked to leave their comfort zone and make decisions.
This situation makes the employee develop his talents and skills at work, in addition to encouraging him to look for information and new strategies to improve professionally.
The best part is that all of this comes from the collaborator himself, and not from some order. Therefore, it also improves team engagement.
– Improves efficiency
As we said above, autonomy at work improves and encourages team engagement. As a consequence, there is a greater performance of all professionals.
Today, efficiency means always innovating and maintaining a work environment that encourages innovation. This is why autonomy at work is so important. A team that is committed to its work and that lives in an environment that encourages the participation of each team member will certainly be innovative and creative.
These are essential factors for any type of company today to remain competitive in the market.
What are the consequences when a professional does not have autonomy in their work environment?
If you’ve already realized how important autonomy is in your company, but you’re still unsure about applying it in your work environment, let’s help you.
See how a work environment in which professionals do not have autonomy works and how this affects the development of your company in general.
The first consequence is low productivity. A plastered and very controlling work can mean a great decrease in the creativity of the collaborators.
This is a very dangerous situation, after all, it can directly harm productivity, causing a drastic decrease that impacts the bottom line of the entire company.
In addition, another common consequence is demotivation, which can also be caused by the lack of freedom to make decisions.
Very bureaucratic and controlling processes within companies can result in a team that is unmotivated and unwilling to propose innovative solutions and present strategies that require some kind of creativity.
After all, it takes freedom and flexibility for the creative process to happen. No one can innovate in an environment that represses the expression of opinions.
How to work autonomy at work?
Now that you know what autonomy at work is and the importance of this concept in the corporate day-to-day, learn how to work on autonomy within your company and with your team.
Remember that it may take some time for changes to take place and autonomy to really take effect, after all, it may be necessary to change the entire structure of your work environment.
The first step to working towards autonomy in a workplace is trusting your leadership as a manager.
Trusting your own leadership means guiding employees to do the best work possible and trusting that they will act as you lead.
This may seem simple, but the vast majority of managers make the mistake of stifling the team and micromanaging everyone on the team. Don’t do that.
Trust your work as a manager and the professionals who are on your teams, they will do the best job from your leadership.
How to encourage autonomy at work?
Some simple actions in the day-to-day work encourage the team’s autonomy and can make you gain productivity and efficiency in your company.
Simple actions such as carrying out a good hiring process, building a culture of autonomy, creating group goals and improving communication can yield a great end result. Learn more about each of these actions and how to implement them!
– Have a good hiring process
The first step is right in hiring and can avoid a lot of headache. After all, the ideal is to find people who have a mindset in line with the company’s principles.
If your goal is to cultivate a culture of empowerment and innovation, look for like-minded and creative employees.
Some professionals need constant guidance and supervision, and will not benefit from autonomy in the same way.
– Understand the profile of employees
Another important point is to evaluate the profile of each employee, to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
In this way, it is possible to grant autonomy and freedom at different levels, according to the strengths of each one.
In addition, you can better manage your team based on a detailed analysis of each professional’s profile .
– Build a culture of trust
Leaders need to be willing to delegate and trust their team fully, otherwise it can be seen as hesitation caused by a lack of trust.
Lack of trust in the workplace is extremely harmful and affects the entire culture of trust and autonomy.
Therefore, do not hesitate to delegate functions to your employees. If you realize that the team is still not ready, start with simpler functions and tasks, but that still require essential skills from employees.
– Create group goals
A great way to manage an autonomous team is to create goals and indicators to be met as a group.
These goals will serve as an orientation, a “north” for the team to know in which direction they should go.
In this way, professionals will be free to carry out tasks in the best way they can and in accordance with the company’s objectives and guidelines.
Thus, you give freedom and confidence to your team, while being sure that the work is being carried out according to what you proposed.
– Train and encourage team development
Allowing your team to adapt as best they can to your guidelines is certainly an action that encourages autonomy at work. Also, it ensures that employees are engaged in the work.
Therefore, encourage the development of your team based on actions of this type.
If you continue to place barriers and excessively control every step of the professionals, you will end up with a demotivated environment and less productive employees.
Leaders and managers must strike a balance between freedom and support so that the company’s purpose is clear .
– Improve communication between your teams
The last essential point to encourage economy at work is to improve communication between teams .
This can be done through regular meetings to discuss deadlines and best strategies, review the team’s progress, and provide general guidance.
A team with autonomy does not mean an unassisted team.
In this way, it is necessary to encourage communication so that there is greater efficiency in all processes and to ensure that the team’s objectives are in line with the objectives of the leaders and the company.
Get to know Conexa Corporate
With that in mind, Conexa Corporate can help you provide your team with autonomy and freedom. We offer care and well-being in an easy and digital way, to help you regardless of your location.
We offer support and attention to your company’s employees, which helps to make sure that the team is well and ready to work.
In addition, we can contribute a lot to autonomy in the corporate environment, to optimize your business and to reduce costs in general. Know more!
Conclusion
Now you know how autonomy at work works and the importance of applying this concept in your company.
Remember all the essential steps to achieve this goal, such as carrying out a good selection process, building a culture of trust and freedom within the company, creating group goals, improving team communication and developing team performance.